BBC 3 Aired Robin Williams ‘Family Guy’ Episode Just As News Broke of Comic’s Death

Two days ago, we all learned the heartbreaking & tragic news that comedy legend Robin Williams had died. The next day, we found out about a weird little coincidence involving Family Guy.

Apparently, just as the news of Williams’ passing began breaking, BBC 3 in the UK was airing Family Guy’s Robin Williams-themed episode, “Family Guy Viewer Mail 2.” The installment contains three separate stories, each completely unrelated. One of them, “Fatman and Robin,” involved Peter wishing everyone in the world was Robin Williams, to spite God for allowing the comedian to be made fun of during a TV roast. Peter in turn gained the ability to turn everyone he touched into Williams.

Some outlets (such as these fuckers, these fuckers, and these fuckers) have highlighted the fact that this episode also contained a failed suicide attempt by Peter, and tried to draw a connection between the two, but that’s a bit morbid for us, and it was really just a small scene in only the “Fatman & Robin” segment of the episode.

BBC 3 claimed no intended insensitivity or possession of clairvoyant abilities, stating that the schedules are decided weeks in advance. However, according to a spokesperson, because of Williams’ passing a repeat airing of the episode on Friday will be nixed.

The portrayal and references to Williams on the show (he has been shown in cutaway gags in other episodes as well) have been generally positive, as series creator Seth MacFarlane is a huge fan of the comedian. Upon hearing of his death, MacFarlane tweeted: “The world just got a lot less funny. Robin Williams is a tragic loss.”